Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Step 1 - eliminate excessive greed. Pharmaceutical company leaders canclaim that they expend X amount on research and that's why drugs are soexpensive. The problem is that they're saying that while they're sittingin one of their twenty Lamborghinis. Maybe all medical companies(supplies, meds, equipment mfgs, hospitals, etc) should be forced to be"non-profits"? Just a thunk.

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Here in Canada we are laughing, although it is sad, how many lies and untruths about the Canadian health care system are being spread by those opposed to Obama's health care reforms.

Maybe you heard the one about the woman who claimed she had a life threatening brain tumor and would be dead if she waited for treatment in Canada. She claims the Mayo Clinic saved her life by treating sooner. Her Canadian doctor came forward and stated she did not have a brain tumor, only a cyst, which was not life threatening, and her wait time for treatment did not put her life in jeopardy. How much was ths woman paid for her lies by opponents of US health care reform.

Last week a friend of mine had a detached retina in his eye. Emergency surgery was provided the same day his doctor diagnosed the condition, preventing what otherwise would have been certain blindness.

Please don't listen to the lies circulating about the Canadian health care system. Our system is not perfect, but it is not even 1/10th as bad as opponents of Health reform are claiming!!!

Paul makes a good point. I will mention this about Pharmaceutical companies and the supposition that the cost of drugs hinges on their rationalization that research and marketing costs justify a high price tag.

My son is an epileptic, and takes a medication that would cost him about $600/mo. from most any retail Pharmacy. No better online in the US. However, he could get it from a Canadian or Mexican pharmacy for about $60/mo. In discussing this with a pharmacist friend, his cost would be about $25 for a month's supply.

If the Pharmacist is able to buy it from the the drug company (in the USA!) for $25, where does rest of the $575 at Walgreens (or whoever) go? And why is it that my son's drug is not on the list of cheap drugs at WalMart????

My point is in two parts. One, what can we believe about what we have been told and assume to be true about medical costs? And,two, If it is not the Pharmaceutical companies gouging the public (at least in some cases) then who else in the food chain is? and why?

There is a lot more to these debates on health care than meets the eye, I'm afraid, and perhaps more than even our legislators are aware of.